


5 More Dresses

by Clare_Spradley_I



Category: H2O: Just Add Water
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-14 04:21:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29786361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Clare_Spradley_I/pseuds/Clare_Spradley_I
Summary: Brenna Bennett was so like her mother, it was often scary. For example, she never liked wearing dresses but Zane always found her beautiful in them. Five memorable times Rikki and Zane's daughter wore a dress. A sequel of sorts to 5 Dresses but you don't have to read that first if you don't want to.
Relationships: Zane Bennett/Rikki Chadwick
Comments: 1
Kudos: 11





	1. The Yellow Dress

**The Yellow Dress**

"Daddy!" Zane heard the voices and footsteps of his two children running through the house to find him. He smiled to himself as he stepped away from his computer to go greet the two rascals before they tackled him off of the desk.

Flint Bennett was Zane and Rikki's first born. They had been on a baby moon when Rikki had gone into labour and she had given birth to him in a blue dress later that night. He had Zane's dark hair but it was curly like Rikki's. He had her eyes but every other part of him resembled his father, from his complexion down to his crooked smile.

Zane remembered how nervous he was during Flint's birth but that didn't compare to how he felt during his daughter, Brenna's, birth nearly two years later. He had heard and read the second time around wasn't as stressful as the first time but those people didn't have a mermaid for a wife. Brenna was born on the night of a full moon. Like Zane had done with Flint, he had requested to wash Brenna off after she was born. Flint hadn't shown any signs of being a merman but the second Zane held Brenna, he knew she was different. He couldn't even say he was shocked when a small, orange tail appeared just a few seconds after she touched the water. Dr. Abernathy was ready to bust down the bathroom door. Zane was in there so long drying her off. As soon as he opened the door and locked eyes with Rikki, she seemed to know. She beat herself up about it for a while but they concluded they needed to do the best they could to raise their daughter to keep the secret.

That was three, short years ago and no one knew anything about Rikki or Brenna's mermaid identities outside of their family and close friends. Rikki had helped Brenna learn the life of a mermaid and had drilled into her how important it was to keep this a secret. It was the most adorable thing to see the two of them together. Brenna was Rikki's mini-me. Zane suspected the only physical feature she had inherited from him was his straight hair. Other than that, she was a mirror image of her mother.

Rikki was currently on a diving trip but was set to be home later today. Zane would work from home when Rikki left so he could watch their kids better, although they were both in school now. If he did have to pull any all nighters, he could do so from the comfort of his own home and keep an eye on his kids. He was his own boss since his dad had retired a few years previously.

The two children came barging into his office, each grabbing one of his legs. He felt his heart soar every time they displayed this affection for him. He didn't know what he had done to deserve this beautiful life he had.

"Hey, guys," Zane replied, bending down to their level. "How was school?"

"Boring." Flint had told his father. As much as Zane claimed Brenna was a mini-Rikki, Rikki claimed Flint was a mini-Zane. "Can I go play games with my friends?"

"I suppose it is Friday so that's fine, mate." Zane told his son. "Be sure to get off the computer when your mother comes home."

The boy was already dashing out of the room to the computer in the living room. Zane had a suspicion he'd have to pull his son off the computer tonight.

"What about you, princess?" Zane asked his daughter, moving back to his office chair.

"It fine." She followed him and allowed him to pick her up and place her on his lap as he did when Rikki was out of town. "Mummy's home?"

"She will be tonight." Zane told her. "Do you want some mermaid time with her?"

Zane was surprised when she shook her head against his chest. She always loved swimming with her mum in the ocean.

"You don't?" Zane asked again. Brenna shook her head once more. "What do you want to do with Mummy then?"

"Tea party." Brenna replied.

"What?" Zane had asked. He supposed that was a normal activity for a girl her age but Brenna had always been more interested in things either Flint was doing or anything related to her mermaid identity. She had never expressed much interest in playing with dolls or dressing up and having tea parties.

"Tea party." Brenna said again.

"Why do you want to have a tea party?" Zane asked her.

"Had one with Sailor and her Mummy." Brenna said. "It fun."

Sailor was Lewis and Cleo's daughter that was every bit as girly as Cleo was. Zane wasn't surprised that Sailor had tea parties and Brenna had just been over to their house the day before. He also guessed it was the highlight of Cleo's day to get dressed up and have a tea party with her daughter. He supposed Rikki would do it but she wouldn't be thrilled about it. Then again, he had walked in on Lewis dressed up in beads and a tiara once. Sailor clearly didn't have tea parties with just her mum.

Zane took a big sigh, knowing what he had to do. If his fifteen year old self could only see him now.

"You know, you can have tea parties with your dad too." Zane told her.

"Really?" Brenna asked, melting his heart with her bright, blue eyes.

"Really." Zane told her. "Do you want to get set up in your room?"

"Okay!" Brenna squealed as she hopped off his lap and ran to her room as fast as her little legs would take her. Brenna didn't have dolls but she had plenty of stuffed animals that could join her party. She loved to draw so she had a small table in her room that would also suit her tea party. She didn't have a play tea set like Sailor did but Zane got some real tea cups from the kitchen that could work. When he came back to Brenna's room, she was in a pretty, yellow dress that resembled her favorite princess, Belle from Beauty and the Beast. His dad had gotten it for her, not knowing how much she despised wearing dresses. She really was like Rikki.

"You look so pretty, princess." Zane told her. He saw her look up at him and smile wide like her mother.

"Thanks, Daddy." She said and she gave him a twirl. Yep, no boy on the planet would ever be good enough for her.

He set their tea down and Brenna gave him a fluffy, pink boa to wear. Zane could only imagine how embarrassing it would be to have one of the guys, or really anyone, walk in on him right now. He didn't think he had to worry about that though.

The tea party was going off without a hitch. Brenna told stories to her stuffed animals and Zane acted intrigued, surprised, amused, happy and sad when needed. It would have been perfect until Brenna, who was in the middle of a very animated story, hit her hand on her saucer and her tea flew all over her yellow dress.

It seemed the second she had transformed into a mermaid is when the tears flew. Zane jumped up and pulled her into his arms and headed for the bathroom. He knew she hated being in her mermaid form when she wasn't in the water. He supposed it made sense, she had just mastered walking and running with her legs and now she had this curveball to deal with. She was also smart for her age and Zane suspected she knew this wasn't normal and he wondered how that made her feel. She was only three, she wasn't great at expressing her emotions.

"It's all right, love." Zane told her as he wrapped a towel around her and started drying her off. "Daddy will get you back to normal."

As he suspected, it didn't take long for her to reach her human form. He unwrapped the towel from around her and noticed her yellow dress was now stained from the tea. Brenna's sobs subsided as she hiccupped to catch her breath.

"No more tea parties." She told him. Zane chuckled against her.

"Tea parties?" The father-daughter pair heard from the bathroom entrance. They both looked up to see Rikki standing in the doorway. Brenna started wiggling in Zane's arms like a worm before he put her down and she ran into her mother's arms.

"Mummy!" She exclaimed as Rikki lifted her off the ground.

"I missed you, sweetheart." Rikki told her daughter as she held her.

"Presents?" Brenna asked her mum after a moment, as if she hadn't been crying her eyes out mere seconds before. Rikki always tried to find something for both Flint and Brenna when she was out of town.

"Yes." Rikki laughed, setting Brenna on the floor. "Why don't you go get your brother and I'll give you both your presents?"

"Okay!" Brenna exclaimed as she ran down to Flint. She had the magic touch when it came to getting him off of the computer.

"So, I guess a tea party would explain this." Rikki said, motioning to the pink boa Zane still had around his neck.

"Yeah." He said as he pulled it off. "I guess she had one with Sailor and Cleo and wanted to give it a shot with you but I figured I'd give her the next best thing."

"That's sweet, Zane." Rikki told him as she walked up to him and wrapped her arms around him. "You're the best father."

"I really am, aren't I?" Zane told his wife. Rikki looked up at him and laughed before giving him a kiss. So many years later and he was still so full of himself.

* * *

**AN: I hope you guys enjoyed the start of this new series! I really loved writing 5 Dresses and I honestly needed a break with how dramatic Little Mermaid is getting (not that I'll be taking a break from posting that, I just wrote this one at the same time).**

**Just for anyone who might care why I picked the names Flint and Brenna, the meanings of their names translate to Rikki and Zane well, in my opinion. Flint is of Old English origin and means "stream", which is made of and by water and Brenna is Norse for the word "burn", referencing Rikki's mermaid powers. I didn't do all the research in the world on those names so I think there might be other meanings behind them too but that was the reason I chose them.**

**Anyway, hope you enjoyed this start of this story!**


	2. The Green Dress

**The Green Dress**

Zane and Rikki didn't have siblings so they knew having two children would be something different. Most of their friends had siblings so they knew the basics before they had two children. Still, they didn't expect the headache they would get from their constant bickering.

Their children really did mirror Rikki and Zane and the pair seemed to forget how much they had irritated each other before they started dating. The brother-sister duo loved taking turns pushing each other's buttons. Flint was nearly eleven so Zane recently took him out to learn how to drive their two seater boat while Rikki and Brenna went for a swim. Brenna decided to swim up to the boat and splash Flint with her tail, a seemingly harmless prank. It scared Flint beyond belief though so he decided to use his trump card later that day, dumping water on her while she was watching TV. It took her a while to get back into her human form. After all, Brenna hadn't displayed any mermaid powers like Rikki and the others had, at least not yet. It seemed if the sun was up, their eleven year old son and nine year old daughter were arguing about anything and everything under said sun.

Although today was important, it was no exception to their bickering. Flint had taken up motor cross and had an big competition today. He had hoped the attention would be all on him but Brenna hoped she could at least be the center of attention until they got to the race tracks. They argued back and forth until Flint threw his orange juice at Brenna's white t-shirt she had decided to wear that day.

With a sigh, Zane decided to stay behind and reprimand Flint while Rikki took after Brenna, who had run off to the bathroom, to help her transform back into her human form.

"Flint, we've talked about this." Zane yelled at his son. "You can't be splashing your sister with water."

"That wasn't water." Flint retorted.

"Don't give me that," Zane said back. "You know what I mean. What would happen if you did that in public? Or when you or Brenna had friends over?"

"But I don't do it then, Dad!" Flint whined.

"Not yet, at least." Zane said. "Soon you won't be able to control yourself. I bet you'd feel really good if you put your sister in that kind of danger."

Just then, Brenna pouted back into the kitchen wearing a green dress Zane couldn't remember seeing her wear before. Then again, Brenna didn't like wearing dresses.

"That's a pretty dress, sweetheart." Zane told her.

"I think it's ugly." Flint shot back.

"Flint, don't start." Rikki told her son as she re-entered the kitchen. "This is what someone gets for not doing all her chores around the house. All your other clothes are dirty so the green dress it is."

"Mum, why do I even have to go?" Brenna whined. "I don't even care about motor cross."

"That's just because you're not cool enough for it." Flint said.

"I am to!" Brenna shot back. "If anything I'm too cool. Motor cross is for losers."

"Stop it, both of you!" Zane shouted over his two kids. "Flint, just go get ready, we're meant to leave soon. Brenna, you're going, no questions. It's not your brother's fault you didn't do your chores."

"But-" Brenna started.

"I don't want to hear it, young lady." Zane said. "You're going and that's final."

Flint left the table to go get dressed and Brenna pouted off into the living room, likely to watch a bit more television before they had to leave, leaving Rikki and Zane alone to clean up in the kitchen.

"Why did we have two of them?" Zane sighed as he started the dishes.

"Don't give me that," Rikki said as she brought some dishes to him. "You're the one who wanted more."

"Yeah, but you agreed to it." Zane said.

"I suppose I did." Rikki said, grabbing Zane's dry hand away from the sink. "Honestly, I can't say I regret it."

"Me neither." He smiled down at her before leaning in to give her a kiss. He still had the dream life, even though his kids refused to get along.

* * *

The three Bennetts dropped Flint off with the other racers and went to the stands. Brenna was still just as upset as she had been at the house, stomping up the steps until Rikki warned her to cut it out. Zane supposed she'd be upset anyway but the dress was really the icing on the cake.

They watched the other age groups go and cheered when appropriate but they didn't really care who won those races. There were a few good racers, Zane noted, in the different age groups. It had been a while since he had competed himself but he still tried to keep up with the sport.

Flint's group came out next. He was favored to win his age group but did have some good competition. Zane had given his son multiple lectures on staying humble and not getting too cocky. He wasn't sure if they sunk in completely, he knew he didn't listen to his dad as much as he should have when he was Flint's age.

The race started and Flint was off to a good start. He was leading after the first and second lap but there were still three more to go. Zane hoped Flint didn't come out too quickly. In the middle of the third lap, Zane could have sworn he saw Flint's front tire start to expand. That was impossible, they had both inspected his bike before he hit the tracks and the officials had to inspect it before they were allowed to compete to make sure it was up to par. If there was too much air in his front tire, someone would have noticed.

"Brenna," he heard Rikki hiss, only in a tone she used on their children when they had done something very, very wrong. "What in the hell you do think you're doing?"

Zane looked down to see what was happening. He hadn't heard her do anything, he barely saw her move. Nothing was really out of the ordinary aside from Brenna's right hand. She was holding it up and it looked like she was squeezing her hand, the same way Rikki did when she was heating up water.

Oh no.

Zane looked up from Brenna at Flint, just in time to see his front tire explode and Flint fly off his bike and land on the ground, hard. Zane flew out of the stands and he could tell by their foot steps, Rikki and Brenna weren't too far behind. He knew they would have to wait at the gate until one of the paramedics on hand brought Flint over to them. He was still on the ground when Zane, Rikki and Brenna had arrived at the gate which told Zane he was hurt. Flint had never been the type to lay in pain and agony over a small cut.

"They're not going to let us see him?" Rikki asked from behind Zane.

"They will." Zane replied, turning back to face her. "They just need to make sure they can get him out safely first."

Zane took this opportunity to look down at his daughter and made sure to give her a face that let her know he knew what she did and he wasn't happy about it. Brenna looked shocked, like she didn't expect this to happen. Rikki probably knew more about obtaining her mermaid powers. Maybe she didn't know what she was doing but he was still going to have a talk with his daughter when they got the opportunity. He couldn't yell at her here.

Soon, Flint and the paramedics were walking over the the gate Zane, Rikki and Brenna were standing by. They knew Rikki and Zane were Flint's parents so they stopped once they got in the gate.

"Mr. and Mrs. Bennett," one of them started. "Flint seems to be okay after that fall but we do think his arm might be broken. I'd take him to the emergency room to get that checked out."

"All right," Zane replied, motioning for his son to come over to him. "Thanks."

The family of four made it back to the car, nobody saying anything besides Flint who called his wipe out "sick". The boy didn't seem to understand why no one else was saying anything.

They were seen by a doctor in no time and x-rays confirmed the paramedics thoughts that Flint had broken his arm. After the doctors left, Flint had said he was hungry. Zane checked his watch and saw it was 3:00 and they hadn't eaten lunch yet. He and Rikki volunteered to get them all something from the cafeteria. They asked Brenna if she wanted to go but she had wanted to stay in Flint's room.

"Just don't tear each other apart while we're gone." Zane told them as he closed the door behind them.

"So," he started as they made their way down the halls. "Brenna has powers now?"

"I guess so." Rikki replied. She was as tense as ever.

"Do you think..." Zane started. "I mean, did she know what she was doing?"

"To a certain extent, I think so." Rikki said. "When your power introduces itself, you know. You have to feel this strong emotion for it to happen. She must have been angry at Flint. She probably thought she could just pop his tire and he wouldn't win the race but based off her reaction when he fell off his bike, I don't think she meant to hurt him."

"Well, what should we do?" Zane often felt like he was barely a parent to Brenna. When it came to her mermaid life, he didn't have a clue how to help her. Luckily, Rikki was the best mother to her mermaid daughter.

"I'm not sure." Rikki said as they entered the cafeteria. "I don't think Flint has a clue what she did. I don't think we should tell him. It would take him a long time to forgive her. But she needs to know how dangerous these powers can be. She needs to hear it from both of us.

"And I think it would be good for both of us to have a go at her." Rikki continued. "She may be our daughter but she also hurt our son."

That was true. Zane could feel his blood boiling at the race track. If they had been alone or in a space where they could talk about mermaids freely, he would have snapped at her. He didn't know as much about the mermaid life as Rikki did but he knew you had to be very careful about everything from growing a tail to controlling your powers.

They re-entered the room with food for the family. Flint seemed to swallow his in one bite while Brenna just picked at her meal. Once they were done, Rikki requested to talk to Brenna outside.

"What's Mum doing with Brenna?" Flint asked his dad. Yep, he had no idea this was all her fault.

"Not sure." Zane replied. "I think it's because she was pouting about wearing her dress or something."

Rikki re-entered the room, alone, a few minutes later. Zane could see the red in her face and knew she had been giving Brenna her all.

"Your turn." Rikki whispered to Zane as she took the chair closer to Flint's bed.

Zane pushed his food out of the way and stood up to go see Brenna. She was sitting in a chair right outside of Flint's hospital room with tears running down her eyes. She didn't cry as often these days so he figured Rikki either laid into her or she felt bad for hurting Flint. Maybe it was a combination of the two. She looked up to Zane and met eyes with him briefly before looking back down to the floor.

"You want to talk about what happened at the track?" Zane asked his daughter as he stood above her.

"I didn't mean to hurt Flint, Daddy." She told him. She rarely called him 'Daddy' anymore. She only did when she was really upset. "I didn't even know I could do that."

"Did your mum tell you about your mermaid powers?" Zane asked crouching down to her level. He hoped Rikki had explained it and her temper didn't get away from her.

"Yeah," Brenna said. "She said she'd help me control them too."

"Good." Zane said. "I know you and your brother argue a lot but you can't use your mermaid powers on him. In fact, I think it would be best if you only used them around your mum."

"Why am I like this, dad?" Brenna asked, looking up to meet his eyes. "Nobody else besides mum, Aunt Cleo and Aunt Emma are mermaids. Why do I have to be like this?"

"I..." Zane felt his heart shatter. He knew since he found out Rikki was a mermaid that she had her struggles with it and he had done his best to help her along the way. He knew why Rikki was a mermaid and he had a feeling he knew why Brenna was a mermaid but he couldn't be certain. It also wasn't the answer the girl was looking for right now. "I don't know, princess. You know, I'm sure a lot of other girls your age would want to be a mermaid."

"Well, they can have it." She told him, crossing her arms over her chest. "I don't want it anymore."

"Why don't you want to be a mermaid?" He asked her. "I thought you loved it."

"I did," Brenna said. "Until I hurt Flint."

"Princess, it's all right," Zane told her. "Flint's going to be okay and your mum is going to help you with your powers so you don't hurt anyone again."

Brenna was quiet for a while, just sitting with her arms crossed. Zane could tell she was thinking, about what, he wasn't sure.

"Did Mum ever hurt anyone with her powers?" Brenna asked.

"Yes," Zane answered, honestly. He wasn't sure if this would make her feel better or worse. "Did I ever tell you about our first kiss?"

Brenna shook her head and furrowed her eyebrows, wondering where he was going with this.

"It was the night of a full moon," Zane started. "Your mum was moonstruck for the first time and her powers were out of control. She was lighting a lot of the forest on Mako Island on fire just by touching it. I went to the Mako Island to look for something and I found your mum sitting alone. I went to check on her to make sure she was okay and she kissed me but she took all the water in my body away. I didn't wake up until the next morning and I had burns all over my face."

"I bet she felt really bad." Brenna said after a moment.

"Yeah, she did." Zane lied. There would be no benefit in telling Brenna he and Rikki hated each other at the time. "But now, she's got them under control. She helps you transform back into a human quicker and she heats up yours and Flint's food when it gets cold."

"I guess that's pretty cool." Brenna said.

"Of course, it is." Zane replied. "Mum can help you with your new powers and you can go back to being the fun-loving mermaid I know."

"Okay." Brenna replied. "Thanks, Dad."

"Of course, princess." Zane said reaching out for her and lifting her off of her chair. She was getting big and he sometimes found himself missing the times he could hold her in one hand. "Why don't we go check on your brother then?"

"Okay." She replied. Zane set her down before they opened the door and Brenna took the closest seat to Flint and Zane took the furthest, leaving Rikki in the middle.

"How'd it go?" Rikki asked.

"Pretty good." Zane replied. "I talked you up a lot though so you owe me."


	3. The Grey Dress

**The Grey Dress**

As Brenna grew, she was every bit as beautiful as her mother. The difference between Rikki as a teenager and Brenna as a teenager was Brenna knew she was gorgeous. Zane figured Rikki knew but it's not like she would flaunt it. At least not as much as Brenna did.

She was still mischievous though. Zane supposed any child of his and Rikki's would be. He'd often catch her sneaking out to hang out with her friends in crop tops, short shorts and low-cut shirts. He always made sure she stayed home. He didn't know who she was going to hang out with but he didn't think it was only going to be her girl friends.

Zane never thought he'd be the overprotective father. His own dad could be pretty overprotective of Zane himself but he supposed his relationship with Brenna was different. His dad didn't care when or who he dated (at least until he started seeing Rikki) but Zane felt like he was fighting a losing fight, especially since his daughter was on the opposing side. She would have attracted boys by just existing but she was encouraging them to try to date her.

Zane thought he could put that behind tonight. Brenna was thirteen, the same age Flint was when they brought him to one of their museum galas. Flint had behaved himself, mostly because Zane and Rikki had told him he would get a raise in his allowance if he went. It had been easier to attend the events when the kids were younger. They'd just hire a babysitter and be prepared to show lots of pictures. Once Flint had turned ten, different colleagues were encouraging the two to bring their son. They chose to wait but once he turned thirteen, they couldn't take the nagging anymore. Brenna had just turned thirteen the week before so she would be attending her first museum gala with stuffy, rich old men and women. Thank god.

Zane had just finished straightening his tie when Rikki exited their bathroom wearing her standard black dress.

"You look stunning, love." He told her as he grabbed her hands and pulled her in for a kiss.

"Thanks." Rikki replied. "Not that it really matters."

"Yes, I suppose not." Zane said. "All these years later and you still can't take a complement."

"Thank you." Rikki replied. "You don't look half bad yourself."

"Well, maybe we can do something later on." Zane replied wiggling his eyebrows, hoping she was catching his drift. "If you're not too busy."

"We'll see." Rikki said with an eye roll. "Come on, let's go check on the kids."

Rikki and Zane exited their bedroom and made their way up the stairs, Zane going to Flint's room and Rikki to Brenna's.

"You almost ready, mate?" Zane asked after knocking on Flint's door.

"Almost." Flint replied grabbing his jacket from the bed. "Is this all right for the stupid gala?"

"Well, it's better than what you wore last time." Zane replied, remembering the last time Flint tried to go to their gala in a Hawaiian shirt and board shorts since Rikki had discovered a lost Hawaiian treasure.

"I still don't see why we have to go." Flint muttered as he walked out of his room. "At least Brenna can't pick on me for it anymore."

"Yeah, I'll miss it." Zane heard his daughter say as she exited her room behind Rikki. Zane did a double take at his youngest child. Surely Rikki hadn't seen her yet.

"What are you wearing?" Zane asked Brenna.

"Dad!" She whined. "It's a dress, what's wrong with it?"

Zane supposed there wasn't much of anything wrong with it. It was grey and it looked as professional as anything Rikki would wear to a gala. The collar came up to just beneath her neck and the dress ended at her mid-calf. The problem was, it looked two sizes too tight, showing off every curve his daughter had thus far.

"It's just..." he started, looking at Rikki for some support. Rikki looked back at the dress as if she had missed something.

"What's wrong with it, Zane?" Rikki asked crossing her arms.

"You don't think it's a little tight?" Zane asked his wife.

"It's form fitted." Rikki said. "Very flattering. I was with her when we bought it."

"So this is your fault?" Zane tried again.

"Kids," Rikki started. "Go down to the car. I need to have a talk with your father."

Zane wanted to protest and continue the argument until Brenna got fed up and decided to change but they would miss the gala in it's entirety if he did. She was just as stubborn as Rikki, if not more so. Still, why couldn't she wear her Beauty and the Beast dress she wore for their tea party? Or the green dress she wore when she got her powers?

Rikki maneuvered around him so she was now standing in front of him.

"What is wrong with you, Zane?" Rikki hissed so the kids wouldn't hear her. "Brenna looks great in that dress."

"Yes, and that's the problem." Zane replied.

"Do you not think it's appropriate for the gala?" Rikki asked.

"No, it's just-" Zane started.

"Well, what then?" Rikki asked.

Zane was silent, grinding his teeth together and staring at the floorboard. He didn't want to admit his feelings to Rikki, although he had a suspicion she already knew.

"I know how you feel, love." Rikki replied, moving to wrap her arms around him. "She has to grow up sometime. Besides, you know there won't be anyone there beside old, stuffy, rich people."

"That's true." Zane replied. At least they weren't thrusting Brenna into a room of hormonal, teenage boys in that dress.

* * *

The family was soon in the car headed to the event. Rikki was telling Brenna how these galas worked, similar to how Zane had done at Flint's first gala. Brenna was proving to be a natural at this, much like Rikki was. She acted like she was interested in their conversations and even had some quirky replies every now and then.

Zane spotted the one family he could stand to have a conversation with at these events and beckoned his own family toward them.

"Ah, Zane Bennett." Garett Lauren greeted Zane as he walked over to them.

"Good evening, Garett." Zane greeted him and shook his outstretched hand.

"And of course, the lady of the hour, Mrs. Rikki Bennett." Garrett exclaimed.

"Hi, Garrett," Rikki said as she shook his hand as well.

"And young Flint," he continued pointing in Flint's direction as he gave a small wave. "And... I don't believe we've met."

"Yes, this is my daughter, Brenna." Zane said ushering Brenna to come stand next to him.

"Lovely to meet you, Brenna." Garrett said as she shook her hand.

"Likewise." Brenna responded, shaking his hand back.

"Say, I have a son who might be around your age, Brenna." Garrett told her as he turned around, seemingly trying to locate his son. "Ah, there he is! Jack!"

Zane had a mini-heart attack when he heard a boy around Brenna's age would be coming to see her. Luckily, he saw Brenna's shoulders slump and he knew this wasn't her usual reaction around a guy she liked.

He'd half expected Jack to be a bit of a nerd. Maybe he was the stereotypical geek that followed Brenna around, a bit like Lewis was back in the day. He was surprised when he saw a boy, who was quite handsome, come around to his father.

"Jack, this is Mr. and Mrs. Bennett's daughter, Brenna." Garrett told his son. "I thought you guys might want to meet, if you don't know each other already."

"Oh, we know each other all right." Brenna scoffed. Zane didn't miss the smirk on the boy's face. "Forget it."

Brenna pushed through her family and started running off toward the exit.

"Brenna, wait!" Zane exclaimed as he pushed past anyone that came in their way.

"Hey, what's wrong?" He asked as he finally caught up to her. Rikki wasn't too far behind. Flint had disappeared, likely finding their table for the evening.

"Nothing." Brenna said, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms. "I know Jack and he's a pig. Just a spoiled rich, boy."

"Okay," Zane told her. "You don't have to talk to him for the rest of the night if you don't want to."

"Sounds great to me." Brenna replied. "I'm just going to sit at our table with Flint. Great gala"

Neither parent missed Brenna's obvious sarcasm during her last remark. Rikki and Zane watched as Brenna walked off and took a seat at their table, crossing her arms and legs. It was obvious to a blind person she didn't want to be bothered.

"Care for a drink?" Rikki asked Zane.

"Yeah, that sounds perfect right about now." Zane told her as she grabbed his hand and lead him over to the bar.

"I hope Brenna's okay." Zane said as he took a sip of his drink.

"She'll be fine." Rikki replied. "You know, that Jack boy, he does remind me of someone."

"Yeah?" Zane asked. "Did you have some annoying, spoiled, rich, bad boy following you around in high school?"

"As a matter of fact, I did." Rikki said.

"Really?" Zane replied. "What did you do to this guy?"

"Well, I married him and had his babies." Rikki replied, taking a sip of her drink and watching with great satisfaction as Zane choked on his.

"No," Zane started. "No, no, no she's not marrying that kid!"

"I didn't say she was." Rikki replied. "And certainly not any time soon. I just wouldn't be surprised if they started having feelings for each other is all."

Zane saw the man in all black with a clipboard coming over to the bar, knowing he was going to pull Rikki away soon. She couldn't leave him on that.

"How do you deal with it?" Zane asked.

"With what?" Rikki asked.

"With them growing up." Zane said. "You seem like you're handling it so well and I feel like I'm falling apart."

"Mrs. Bennett-" The man in the clipboard started.

"Yes, I know." Rikki said. "I'll be there in a second.

"Look, love," Rikki started, moving so she was standing in front of Zane. "I miss our babies too. But you just have to go with it. Let her make her own mistakes. Her heart is going to be broken at some point, you can't save her from that. Unless she's wanting to murder someone or expose herself in front of everyone, just let her live her life and be there for her when she gets hurt. You're always good at that."

"All right." Zane said after a moment. "I'll work on it."

"Good," Rikki replied and gave him a kiss. "You know, I actually might not be that busy after this event."

Zane gave her a smirk as she walked off with the event worker. He would work on letting Brenna grow and do her own thing and he would be there for her if she got hurt, just like he always was.


	4. The Purple Dress

**The Purple Dress**

Rikki's hunch about Brenna and Jack turned out to be right. Zane was a bit upset at first but found that he liked the boy much more than any of the other guys Brenna had been with. Not that the now fifteen year old had been with many guys. She and Jack weren't incredibly serious, thankfully. He didn't know Brenna's mermaid identity yet.

Flint, however, didn't seem to have the luck his sister did in the romance department. He dated girls here and there but he didn't have anything quite like Brenna and Jack. Zane was also somewhat disappointed at how quickly his son turned girls down. He seemed to be looking for a supermodel. Zane supposed he did the same thing too, until he met Rikki.

Tonight was the night of their school dance. Brenna was obviously going with Jack but Zane figured Flint wasn't going, or at least wasn't going with a date. That was until he heard the two children arguing from upstairs.

"Come on, Brenna!" Flint yelled. "Can't you wear anything but the purple one? Rachel is going to be pissed if she sees you in it."

"That's all the more reason to wear it." Brenna shot back. "Besides, even if I didn't wear purple, someone else probably will."

"What's going on?" Zane asked as he entered Brenna's room. He noticed both of his kids were nearly ready for the dance, they just needed to change into their clothes.

"Flint's going to the dance with a whiny brat, that's what." Brenna said.

"You got a date?" Zane asked his son. "High five, mate."

"Sure, he gets a date and it's a party." Brenna scoffed. "I get a date and you're ready to do a full background check on the guy."

"I've just got the protect my little girl, princess." Zane told her, grabbing her cheek.

"I can protect myself fine." Brenna replied as she batted his hand away. "Your son on the other hand, I'm not too sure."

"What's wrong with Flint's date?" Zane asked.

"Nothing at all." Flint replied as Brenna opened her mouth. "She's hot."

"Please." Brenna scoffed. "Like you can take your face out of her tits."

"All right," Zane interrupted, not really wanting this conversation to continue in its current direction. "What was this about not wearing purple?"

"Rachel's dress is purple." Flint said. "She's had it picked out for ages and wanted to be the only one wearing purple. I came in here to borrow Brenna's brush when I saw this purple dress laying out. You have a million other dresses, why not wear one of those?"

"I don't want to wear any of those." Brenna shot back. "It's not like I'm wearing the same dress as Rachel."

"It doesn't matter," Flint started. "She'll be pissed at me for letting my own sister wear purple."

"Don't you think this Rachel is overreacting a bit?" Zane asked Flint. "What's the big deal if someone else is wearing purple?"

"Yeah, Flint," Brenna chimed in. "What's the big deal? Little Rachel afraid I'm going to take her crown away?"

"Brenna, knock it off." Zane warned. "Flint, go back to your room and get ready. If this Rachel girl really likes you, I'm sure she won't care what Brenna's wearing."

Flint and Zane left the room, Flint sulking into his room and Zane heading down the stairs. Rikki was in their shared office, going over some work documents for her next dive.

"That sounded fun." Rikki said as he entered the room and put her documents away and walking over to him.

"You have no idea," Zane said. He wrapped his arms around his wife. "It's not a big deal though. Soon they'll be gone and we'll have the night to ourselves."

"Mm. I'm excited for tonight." Rikki told him. "What did you have in mind?"

"Take out and a movie?" Zane asked. It was funny to think about how often they used to go out when they were younger. Now, it seemed between work and their kids, doing nothing seemed like the best night.

"Sounds great to me." Rikki said as she leaned her head up to give him a quick kiss.

They heard the thundering of footsteps from above and knew their kids were coming down, hopefully ready for the dance. Flint was wearing all black, aside from his white dress shirt. Brenna was wearing the purple dress she had laid out earlier. She had curled her hair and Zane felt he was looking at a fifteen year old Rikki again.

"You two look great," Rikki said from behind him. "My handsome boy."

She reached up to pinch Flint's cheek, similar to how Zane had done to Brenna earlier that night. Flint grew like a bean pole and had outgrown Rikki a long time ago.

"Please, Mum," Flint said, moving out of her grip.

"Your date will love you." She said. "Thank you again for driving your sister and Jack."

"Yeah, sure." Flint responded with a subtle eye roll. Rikki and Zane hadn't really given him much of a choice.

"Curfew is at 11." Zane reminded them. "Be home by then."

"Yeah, yeah," Brenna brushed him off. "Come on, Flint. We'll be late."

"All right fine." He muttered. "We'll see you guys tonight."

"Have fun!" Rikki yelled after them.

"But not too much fun!" Zane followed up.

"Thanks, fun police." Brenna responded as the two entered the garage.

"You know sometimes I think you're just fishing for a smart ass response from Brenna." Rikki accused her husband once the garage door was closed.

"Maybe." Zane replied with a shrug. "She reminds me so much of you."

Rikki smiled up at him and gave him a kiss. He thought it would just be a quick kiss but he was surprised when he found her deepen it.

"I was thinking of doing something before we get our exciting evening of take out and movies started." She said as she moved past him and started walking up the stairs. "If you're in the mood."

Zane followed her up the stairs like he was a lost puppy.

* * *

Rikki and Zane had only just finished their take out and were about halfway through the movie when they heard the garage door open. It was only 9:00. It had been a while since either had been to a high school dance but they remembered staying out much later than this.

Brenna entered first. She looked like she was going to burst into tears as she ran up the stairs. Flint came in next with his hands in his pockets and his head down. Instead of following Brenna up the stairs, he leaned against the wall.

"Flint, what happened?" Rikki asked as she moved out of Zane's arms. He followed his wife off the couch.

"It was a disaster from the beginning." Flint said. "Brenna was right, I never should have taken Rachel to the dance."

"I think we're going to need more information than that, mate." Zane told his son.

"Well, I picked up Rachel last and she was pissed Brenna was in a purple dress." Flint started. "They were actually wearing the same dress. It was kind of funny at first. Rachel tried to bully Brenna out of wearing the dress but you know how she is so she started coming after me instead. I guess at some point Brenna got tired of hearing her complain and made her punch boil, which also would have been pretty funny if Rachel hadn't spit it up all over her."

Zane and Rikki's eyes widened at this. Was Brenna exposed in front of the whole school? Was Flint not able to save her? Was he too stubborn to help her?

"She didn't get exposed, did she?" Rikki asked.

"Not exactly." Flint replied. "I ran with her to the bathroom to make sure she was okay. Nobody saw her but... I might have forgotten to lock the door."

"Flint!" Zane shouted. "You know that is the first thing you are supposed to do!"

"I know!" Flint responded. "It's not like this is a common occurrence."

"Someone saw her?" Rikki asked.

Flint nodded. "Jack."

"Well, I guess that's better than Rachel or whoever else." Rikki said, looking to Zane.

"What did Jack do?" Zane asked.

"Nothing." Flint said. "He just kind of... stared at her. I was waiting for him to do something. Nobody aside from us has ever seen her in her mermaid form before so I didn't know what to do. But Brenna got upset and told him to get out so I shoved him out and locked the door this time. I helped her dry off and then she asked to go home."

"Well, you took care of her." Rikki said. "Thanks for being a good big brother."

"Wait, you're not mad?" Flint asked. "I didn't protect her from being exposed."

"Yeah, but you took care of her." Zane told him. "We would have liked for her mermaid identity to remain a secret until she felt comfortable telling someone but the odds of that happening were pretty low."

"What about Jack?" Flint asked. "What if he tries to expose her to others?"

"We'll handle Jack if it comes to that." Rikki said. "Me, Emma, Cleo and your father."

Zane nodded. He could only imagine pummeling Jack's pretty boy face if he tried to harm his baby girl now although he was sure the girls could do more damage than he could.

"I'm going to go talk to Brenna." Rikki said. "You can go back to the dance if you want, Flint."

"Are you kidding?" Flint responded as he followed his mother up the stairs. "This was good of an excuse as any to get away from that whiny brat. I'm turning in for the night."

Zane smiled as he watched the two walk up the stairs. This was definitely something Rikki was going to have to handle. He couldn't directly relate to the experience of being exposed as a mermaid, although he remembered having to help Rikki and the others numerous times.

Just as Rikki and Flint were out of sight, the doorbell rang. Zane went to answer the door but wasn't expecting to see the boy on the other side.

"Mr. Bennett." Jack said as Zane opened the door. "Is Brenna home? I need to talk to her."

"Talk to her about what?" Zane asked. If there was ever a time to put on the tough father act, it was now.

"Well, at the dance I saw her run off with Flint to the bathroom and she looked really upset so I followed to make sure she was okay and when I opened the door she was... well she was..."

"A mermaid?" Zane finished the boy's sentence. "If I'm going to let you into the house, you're at least going to have to acknowledge the facts."

"Right." Jack replied, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "It was just so shocking. I had no idea."

"What do you want to talk to Brenna about?" Zane asked.

"I just..." Jack started. "I don't think I reacted well and I wanted to apologize. And I suppose she wants to keep it a secret. I could understand that. I won't tell anyone."

"Look," Zane started after a moment, knowing the boy in front of him was telling the truth. He was also thankful Jack didn't have any malice intentions on his daughter. "Why don't you come back tomorrow? She's had a big day and I'm sure she'll be in better shape to talk then. I'll let her know you came by though."

"Yeah, all right." Jack told the older man. "Thanks, Mr. Bennett."

Zane closed the door and prepared to walk up to his daughter's room. He was sure she would be happy Jack seemed to be ready to accept her as she was. Although he knew better than just about anyone dating a mermaid wasn't as easy as it seemed but at least the boy was up for the challenge.


	5. The White Dress And The Gold Dress

**The White Dress And The Gold Dress**

Zane was beginning to have more and more moments where he felt like an old man. His hair was thinning and graying, wrinkles on his face were becoming more prominent and he was having aches and pains in places he'd never had before. Still, he'd never felt as old as he had now as he stood outside of the barn style doors in a suit and tie.

He couldn't believe the girl in the yellow Belle dress was getting married today. Zane and Rikki had raised her well and he knew Brenna's fiancé was perfect for her. If Zane was being honest with himself, he knew they would be good together the night she ran away from him at the gala. She was just like her mother after all.

Jack turned out to to be the perfect gentleman. Zane had a suspicion that Jack wasn't always like that. Zane, himself, didn't get his act together until he started dating Rikki. Brenna had said he was an annoying bad boy at the gala but by the time she brought him around the house, he was anything but. In fact, Zane and the boy seemed to bond pretty well over the years. It made not only Zane happy and relieved, but the rest of the family as well.

Jack didn't seem phased by Brenna's mermaid identity. He had told her he didn't care about her secret and still cared for her the night after he walked in on Brenna and Flint in the bathroom at their school dance. According to Brenna, he also kept her from being exposed several times, just like her family had.

Zane thought his over protective father persona had disappeared but when the young couple had said they were wanting to move in together, he felt it return with a vengeance. Brenna was not the type to back away from an argument with her father. Rikki had finally played the peacemaker and they compromised, agreeing Brenna and Jack would wait until their final year of college to move in.

Once they did, things seemed to move quickly. Brenna always had a way with people so she became a salesman with a local aquatic center and Jack, surprisingly enough, took an entry level job with Zane's business. He wouldn't lie, Zane loved having Jack work for him. If Jack hurt his precious daughter, he'd be out of a job. Zane quickly found he loved having Jack work for him for another reason, he was a great employee. He always showed up on time and did the work of ten people it seemed. It was almost a year ago at the company lunch, Jack approached Zane to ask him a question he'd never forget.

"Great lunch, Zane." Jack told the older man. They had landed on a first name basis a while ago.

"I'd agree." Zane replied. He hadn't organized the lunch after all.

Zane noticed Jack looked, dare he say, nervous. He was red, wouldn't look Zane in the eye and might have even been a little sweaty.

"Are you all right, Jack?" Zane had asked him.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Jack brushed him off. "Do you mind if I have a word?"

Zane gave the boy a strange look. He wondered what would make Jack so nervous. Was there an issue in Jack's branch of the company? Was it something illegal even? Zane didn't know what else would get the boy so worked up. Zane led him into his nearby office and closed the door behind him.

"What's going on?" Was the last thing Zane asked before his life as he knew it changed.

* * *

"He asked you what?!" Rikki practically shouted at their home.

"You're going to wake the neighbors." Zane chastised her. "And you heard me."

"Sorry it's just..." Rikki started. "I knew they were serious but I didn't know they were thinking about marriage."

Suddenly, Rikki gasped. Zane wondered what had gotten into her.

"What did you tell him?" Rikki asked, a worried look on her face.

"What do you mean?" Zane asked.

"Zane," Rikki chastised him this time. "You know what I mean. Jack asked you a simple 'yes' or 'no' question. You know he's a good kid, he'll do whatever you say."

"I know that." Zane said.

"Oh, god Zane." Rikki sighed as she rubbed her face in her hands. "You know Brenna loves him."

"Why are you jumping to conclusions?" Zane asked. "I didn't tell him 'no'."

"You didn't?" Rikki asked.

"No," Zane replied. "You're right he's a good kid and I don't know if Brenna could do much better."

"Our little girl's getting married?" Rikki asked.

"Well, you never know." Zane started. "She could tell him 'no'."

* * *

But of course Brenna didn't say no. She and Jack and burst into Rikki and Zane's home to tell them the news as soon as they got back from the restaurant Jack had proposed. The planning of their wedding took place shortly after that and before Zane knew it he was here, standing outside of his daughter's dressing room, waiting to walk her down the aisle. A part of him felt like it was just yesterday when he first stepped foot in to the moon pool and found out Rikki was a mermaid and now he was here.

How'd he get so fucking old?

"How are you holding up?" Zane heard his wife's voice from behind him.

"As expected." Zane told her. "How about you?"

Rikki grabbed his hands and pulled him down for a kiss. "Same here. She really has grown up fast. They both have."

Flint was probably in the same room as Jack getting ready. Jack seemed to bond well with everyone in the Bennett household and Flint was no exception. He'd be serving as the best man today. Zane had wondered who his best man would have been if he and Rikki had a ceremony. Nate? Lewis? Ash? He didn't know and it was one of the many reasons he was glad Rikki had decided to go to the courthouse instead.

"You're not wrong there." Zane replied as he leaned into Rikki. "We raised them well though."

"We did." Rikki sighed against him. "Wait until you see her, she looks beautiful."

"Of course she does." Zane replied as Rikki started to back out of their half embrace.

"I better go take a seat, the ceremony should be starting soon." She told him. "Be sure to save a dance for me later."

"I will." Zane told her as he finally let go of her outstretched hand.

"Dad?" He heard a few moments later from behind him. He knew his bride of a daughter would be standing there and he knew Rikki would be right and she would be beautiful but he wasn't expecting this.

There his little girl was, dressed head to toe in white. She had told him her dress was a mermaid style dress and he thought that was fitting but didn't really know what it meant. It had thin straps across her shoulders and was covered in a elegant lace. He noticed the bottom of the dress sparkled brightly and the veil she wore was simple but still stunning. He couldn't remember feeling this lost for words in a long time.

"Are you ready, Dad?" She asked him again with a dazzling smile on her face.

"Yeah," Zane nodded walking closer to her and doing his best to fight back tears.

"Dad, if you cry I'm going to cry." Brenna laughed as him through the tears that were appearing in her own eyes. Zane laughed back in the same way.

"I know it's just-" Zane stopped as he stood beside her. "You look so beautiful, princess."

"Ugh, Dad." Brenna sighed as she reached for a tissue nearby. "I didn't think I was going to cry until later on at least."

Zane laughed at his beautiful daughter. He had half a mind to take her out of the venue and run back to his and Rikki's home and just keep her there. She could be three years old forever. Before he could think on his psychotic plan, the doors in front of them opened. As he walked Brenna down the aisle, he took in his surroundings, seeing old friends and family members. His eyes finally landed on Jack and the said the man had tears swimming in his eyes too. It finally all made sense. Brenna had found another man that loved her just as much as Zane did.

* * *

"Excuse me," Rikki heard from behind her at the reception. She had been sitting alone at her table. Her devilishly handsome husband stood behind her. "I believe you said I owe you a dance."

"I believe I did." Rikki replied.

Zane lead her out onto the dance floor and pulled her into him as they began their slow dance. Zane was briefly reminded of that Valentine's Day in their old cafe so many years ago. How was he lucky enough to still be dancing with that same woman?

"How'd I get so lucky with you?" She seemed to read his mind.

"I suppose I could ask you the same thing." Zane told her.

"It wasn't that hard." Rikki told him. "I guess I just needed to be locked out on a balcony with you for a while."

"Yeah," Zane chuckled. "What do you think the girl that stole my Zodiac would have had to say about this life you have?"

"She'd probably hurl." Rikki told him. "But she doesn't know what's she's missing out on."

Zane laughed at her. Of course Brenna was beautiful and today was all about her and Jack. Still, Zane couldn't help but notice how gorgeous Rikki looked in her sparkling gold dress. Rikki still much preferred pants or shorts but Zane loved her in a dress. He'd have to file the gold dress in the same memories as her other memorable dresses.

"Have I mentioned you look stunning today?" Zane asked her.

"Possibly." Rikki told him. "You look quite handsome yourself."

"I love you." He told her and leaned in to kiss her. Really, Rikki was the reason all of this was happening. She was the one that had carried their babies and made sure they were happy and healthy. She was the one who had taken another chance on him at their first gala. She was the one who had agreed to go out with him outside the JuiceNet cafe when they were only fifteen years old.

She smiled back up at him with that signature grin of hers. "I love you, too."

Zane leaned down to kiss her, again, hoping he could translate how much into this kiss. He couldn't even begin to put into words how much she meant to him. She was his everything and he knew he was the same to her. He wondered what the boy who was covered in water by the blonde girl in pigtails would think of all this. Then again, Rikki was right, he wouldn't know what he was missing out on.


End file.
